Kyle Hendricks quieted the Nationals' potent lineup to help the Cubs come away with a 3-0 victory in Game 1 of the National League Division Series.

The Cubs had a couple of timely hits in the sixth inning after Nationals starter Stephen Strasburg tossed 5 2/3 innings of no-hit baseball and that was more than enough to back up Hendricks' stellar start.

Wade Davis came in for the save in what was a somewhat controversial ninth inning. Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman was called out after being hit in the back with a throw as he ran down the first-base line. The umpire ruled he did not give catcher Willson Contreras a chance to make the throw to first base. Washington manager Dusty Baker was not happy with the call.

Nationals fans aren't too happy either, but despite that here are three takeaways from Game 1.

1. So this is what pitching looks like?

Coming into this game expecting Stephen Strasburg to dominate wasn't that hard to believe. In his last two starts against the Cubs he had thrown 14 innings, given up three runs and struck out 22. But with the bats the Nationals have in their lineup it wasn't a stretch to think they'd hit Hendricks hard.

But it didn't happen. Strasburg was great as expected, but Hendricks was just as good and even better to a point. Strasburg started the night with 5 2/3 hitless innings before a Kris Bryant single broke up both his no-hitter and the scoreless tie. Strasburg would finish the night with a line of seven innings pitched, three hits allowed, no earned runs and 10 strikeouts.

In the meantime Hendricks was masterful working the corners and changing speeds as he tossed seven scoreless innings as well, allowing two hits and three walks while striking out six.

In a postseason where Corey Kluber, Chris Sale, Sonny Gray, Zack Greinke, and Luis Severino have all been knocked out of starts early, these two pitchers reminded everyone that pitching is still relevant in baseball.

2. Bryant, Rizzo start slow, bounce back strong

Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo were the goats of the game through the first five innings. Both All-Stars went 0 for 2 with two strikeouts in their first two plate appearances and they looked lost at the plate.

Bryant still looked lost through his first two pitches in his third at-bat, but when Strasburg grooved a fastball on the 0-2 pitch Bryant connected for a single to right which scored Javier Baez and gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead.

Rizzo then stepped up to the plate and followed up Bryant's RBI single with an RBI single of his own, scoring his third baseman after he had advanced on the throw home from his previous at-bat.

No one remembered their previous two at-bats as the Cubs' fan favorites led Chicago to a win.

3. This is when the Scherzer injury really hurts

If Max Scherzer were healthy this series would be different in two ways. For one he could have started Game 1 and the outcome might have been different, but probably more importantly he could have started Game 2 after a loss. There are not a lot of pitchers that teams would trust more to get a win than Scherzer after his team is coming off of a loss.

However, because Scherzer is not 100 percent, he isn't starting Game 2 and the Nationals will have to run out Gio Gonzalez to take the mound. And it's not set in stone that Scherzer will be available for Game 3.

Gonzalez has a good record and ERA this season, but he went more than five innings just once in his last five starts of the season, gave up six runs in 4 1/3 innings in his final appearance and had an ERA of 5.47 in those outings. Scherzer is an ace and a National League Cy Young Award candidate. The Nats would have obviously preferred to have Scherzer available.

Highlight

Despite the fact that Strasburg was saddled with a loss his stuff was absolutely filthy.

What's Next

Cubs at Nationals, Saturday 5:38 p.m. ET - With a 1-0 lead in the series the Cubs have to be thrilled to have Jon Lester (13-8, 4.33 ERA) on the mound. Lester has made 22 appearances (19 starts) in the postseason in his career and has a 2.63 ERA in those games. That line will give any coach confidence even with the struggles the 33-year-old had in the regular season. Gio Gonzalez (15-9, 2.96 ERA) takes the ball for the Nationals.